Twenty-One ~ A Dean Portman Fanfic

Twelve

Hugging her brother's old puffy jacket around her waist, she walked down the concrete steps of the hockey arena with Gloria and Julianna. Hands were stuffed in the front pockets as she glanced around, noticing normal people who attended games wore sweaters and long sleeves with scarves. With a gulp, she gave a kind smile to the few people in the stands as she felt Glory's hand press to her back.

The game had already started and the three friends were late, having been previously on time until Glory needed to return to the dorms to find a better jacket. Insisting she not go alone, Gloria managed to get both her friends to leave and come back with her.

The game was one nothing for Eden Hall in the first period as she found a seat, sitting down quietly and stared around. It was more packed than their first game, assuming more people knew about the game days the third time around. The opposing team wasn't an academy, but a high school grade team from Minneapolis.

Across the arena, both teams were seated on the bench while their six players played the game. Coaches on their feet clapping, reading plays off their clipboards and hollered out to their crowned Captain. She could see Charlie Conway on the ice, talking to his teammates as he received nods before the puck drop.

Sitting up, she fixed her jacket before sitting back in her seat and stared to the ice. Portman was sitting on the bench waiting to be put out and she let her head tilt to the side. His helmet pulled up to the top of his head, resting until he would pull it down to play on the ice. There wasn't anything different from his helmet compared to the others, but in a small sense, she couldn't help but look in his direction.

His curly hair clearly sweaty as it shined in the right angle with the bright ceiling lights. Little curls twisted over his forehead in a knotted bunch as he leaned forward, laughing at something Fulton had said. The two boys fist bumped and erupted into a laugh until Coach Orion glared back at them, not wanting to hear unnecessary noise from the bench.

His laugh made her smile quietly as she sank in her chair, not wanting to be noticed by anyone. Something about him made her feel different inside that she couldn't put a pin on. The more she passed him in the halls, or he fired back a comment at her, or pushed her in the hall, she grew to enjoy it a little more rather than avoiding it.

Fulton eyed the crowd, simply looking to see if anyone's parents had showed up who lived in Minneapolis. Other than Charlie's mother, who tried attending every other game, there wasn't anyone else. Students showed and older friends from the kids, but otherwise it was all strangers to the players.

Fulton had been slapped in the shoulder by Portman, almost didn't feel it from his pads. "Hey, ugh, guess who." He nods to the stands.

"Who?" Portman asked, laughing.

His laugh settled to nothing as he caught a look of the almost sixteen year old brunette sitting with her friends in the stands. It was almost hard to see her since she blended in so well with the crowd, dressing the part, almost if it weren't the puffer jacket. "Lookin' good." Fulton exhaled, tapping his knee with glove.

"A little, yeah." He agreed.

"Make a move."

Portman shook his head, diverting his attention to the ice where Orion looked back at the two boys. "Last five minutes, boys. Let's see some action. Defend that net." He told them, motioning with his fingers for them to enter and for Russ and Dwayne to get off.

Portman and Fulton both jumped the boards together, one skating off before the other had the chance to hit the ice. People erupted with cheers, getting on their feet and Glory cocked a brow. It was just two boys, she figured, nothing special about defensemen.

Within the first few minutes of them being on the ice, Evangeline and the girls had gasped more times than ever as the two enforcers were rough. Hit after hit, the plowed the opposing team to the ice with laughs. Every cheery ended with a chest bump and a loud 'grr' as they laughed it off. The two had a very close friendship and bromance, as seen when Fulton tapped his stick off Portman's ass, both joking around.

Evangeline watched as Portman skated up to Charlie, spinning on his skates sharply to give him a fist bump. The two spoke for a few seconds before nods were exchanged and they went to their positions. Standing near their net, feet apart, Dean was hunched forward as he eyed Fulton then the puck where Adam stood crouched, hands low on his stick.

When the puck dropped, Adam won the face off and Portman skated fiercely across the ice with humor. Approaching a player from the side, he rammed into him with his shoulder before calling out with glee. Several people cheered for him, which made him continue on his bashing spree he was known for.

When Guy scored, the team cheered loudly as Evangeline and her friends jumped up from their cheers. Yelling aloud with the crowd, they clapped their hands together with smiles, happy their team has scored.

She stared down to the ice where Portman had exchanged looks with her and she looked away briefly so she wasn't caught looking. He proceed to do a celly, sliding across the ice on his knees and faked playing an air guitar. Head fell back as he used his hockey stick for his pretend guitar. The girl watched him perform it as Charlie rose a brow, then noticed the girl he was impressing in the stands further.

Her smile grew bigger as she shook her head at the guy and he got back to his feet. Spinning in a circle as he went back to his designated spot.

When the game finished, Eden Hall had won five to two, a rather good win. The teams had shook hands with one another, then the coaches and refs before finally skating off the ice. One after the other, they trailed off the ice onto the rubber mats that led the locker rooms. JV going to theirs while the other team used the guest locker room, Varsity's locker room across the hallway.

Evangeline walked out of the arena with her two friends, aiming to leave from the hallway. She trailed in the middle of her friends, unsure how she got between them, and followed the group of people as neither of the three knew where they were going.

Julianna looked back at the people shoving each other to get out and noticed the hockey players escaping the ice. She perked up and continued walking slowly, which had Evie and Glory walking slowly so they could stick together.

Coming up from behind, the Ducks entered the locker room one by one and Evangeline turned to see who it was. She caught sight of the JV team and stepped aside to stay out of the way. Hand stuffed in her jacket, she looked away and tapped her shoes together, spotting the enforcer who adorned the number 21.

He looked at her. "Didn't think you'd show, Sullivan." He used her full last name and she was taken back by it, brows furrowed before she looked up.

"Yeah." She mentioned. "You kind of implied I come the other day."

"It was a good game, guys!" Glory cheered, giving them a thumbs up as the players walked around Portman to enter the locker room.

"Ugh, right." Portman nods.

She nodded in return, unsure what more to say as she was stuck in an awkward position. Her friends were there, people were shoving each other to leave the hall, and players were entering the locker room all while she tried talking to Portman.

Evangeline gulped, pulling a piece of hair behind her ear. "We have to go."

She grabbed Glory's arm, the girl drooling as she watched Adam Banks pull his helmet off and shake his hair loosely.

"Oh god, I'm gonna die."

Portman raised a brow to the weird girl before following Banks into the locker room and the girls wandered off. Being pushed down the hall by Evangeline, Julianna was skeptical but didn't say much more as she helped tug Gloria down the hall.